Sunday, 5 February 2012

Back to the wall Shahrizat Jalil showed her claws with a low blow at PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli, but did not have the guts to refute her seniors and her own deputy in Umno who want her out before she destroys their party beyond repair.

"It is a low blow and I understand she must feel the pressure. But we have to be professional. If she and her family are innocent, she would welcome the chance to prove her innocence," Rafizi told Malaysia Chronicle.

Under pressure, Shahrizat resorted to the farcical and the crude

Told in no uncertain terms by the former Umno Wanita chief Rafidah Aziz to "damn it" and get out, and before that by former premier Mahathir Mohamad to "go before she is chased out", and just a day ago by deputy Wanita chief Kamilia Ibrahim to not be a burden to Umno, it was tough for the shell-shocked Shahrizat to put on a brave face.

Forgetting her dignity, she resorted to the farcical and sad to say, the 'bitchy' streak in her finally overcame the 'gracious'. She lashed out at Rafizi for blowing the whistle on her family's alleged misappropriation of public money in the RM250mil NFC cattle breeding project.

Shahrizat, who is also the Women's minister, went so far as to call him a sissy for being so watchful on the NFC scandal, offering to send him her wing's red-and-white 'baju kurung' uniform.

“He will look good in red and white as he’s a little jambu (effete). Wanita Umno will pack the red and white garments and send them to my stalker,” Malaysian Insider reported Shahrizat as saying on Sunday.

“Because I think this particular person aspires to be Wanita Umno chief, maybe because he’s a wannabe leader (but) his party doesn’t have many members. Wanita Umno has 1.3 million members so he can feel the strength.”

Coward when it comes to Rafidah, Dr M

Earlier, she showed her cowardice in responding to her own peers in Umno, not daring to respond to Rafidah's no-holds-barred advice to her to basically get the hell out of Umno before she wrecks the party with her family's scandalous conduct at the NFC.

"I don't want to attack people who are older than me, I come from a family where my parents taught me not to be rude to anyone, more so to people who are older than me, so I'll shut my mouth," said Shahrizat.

Malaysian women are better than that

But critics say, as can be seen from her Rafizi attack, Shahrizat is not as 'nice' as she makes herself out to be. Double standards, lying to herself and about herself were dead giveaways from her crude outburst.

No doubt, Shahrizat had meant to 'slay' Rafizi by questioning his masculinity, but the manner in which she did it only destroyed her femininity - surely the core values of which are grace and dignity.

"Well, as we have said before, PKR won't be pressured by such personal attacks to be derailed from fully exposing Shahrizat and her family. On the contrary, we will be even more focused to ensure that every accusation we make is fully grounded in fact and from which she and her family will find it hard to wriggle out from. This is not revenge. Nobody is that interested in the Shahrizats but everybody is interested in where our RM250 million went," PKR Women's chief Zuraida Kamaruddin told Malaysia Chronicle.

"As a woman leader, I feel embarrassed by Shahrziat's comments. Not only were they out of line and unbecoming, they also don't put women in a good light. Women should be dignified, and calm in facing calamities. Women are the bedrock of a family and the nation. But Shahrizat is becoming like Ummi Hafilda, simply shooting her mouth off with crazy talk. I fear the pressure is becoming too much for her and she should heed all our advice, not just from the Pakatan Rakyat but from her own seniors in Umno - quit gracefully and go before she is really chased out. Also, please don't shame the women's movement in Malaysia with further crude and bitchy comments. Malaysian women are better than that."